Finnish Marina von Weissenberg becomes IUCN Vice-President

01 February 2013 | News story

IUCN European Councillor Marina von Weissenberg from the Ministry of the Environment of Finland has been elected as Vice-President in the Council for the period 2012-2016.

Having many years’ experience in international cooperation in the field of biodiversity, Ms. von Weissenberg is now serving her second four-year term as IUCN Regional Councillor for West Europe. Ms. von Weissenberg was Chair of the IUCN National Committee of Finland from 2002 to 2009, and prior to that, served six years as the Secretary for the National Committee. She is a member of IUCN’s National Committee of Finland. Ms. von Weissenberg is also the National Focal Point for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

“The appointment of Marina von Weissenberg as Vice-President will be a big asset for the European region and its Members. With Marina sitting at one of the highest levels of IUCN's governance, we now have all the elements to effectively implement the IUCN Programme in Europe” stated Sebastià Semene Guitart, IUCN Senior European Coordinator.

The decision was taken by the IUCN Council meeting this week in Gland, Switzerland. Other Vice-Presidents are Miguel Pellerano, Argentina, John Robinson, USA, and Malik Amin Aslam Khan, Pakistan. IUCN’s President, Zhang Xinsheng of China, was elected at the Members’ Assembly during the IUCN World Conservation Congress in September 2012 in South Korea.

The IUCN Council is responsible for strategic direction, policy guidance, and fiduciary duties following decisions made at the IUCN Members’ Assembly. Experience, gender balance and geographical distribution are all weighed when choosing the Vice-Presidents.